The Ministry of Internal Affairs has warned of an increase in cases of hacked accounts on Telegram and WhatsApp messengers. Currently, 14 such cases have been registered in the North Kazakhstan region. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
How scammers operate
Scammers take over citizens' messenger accounts and send messages to their acquaintances asking for money on their behalf. To do this, they first send a link with a request to "vote".
"This is one of the fraudulent methods aimed at taking over citizens' messenger accounts. If you follow the sent link, scammers may gain access to the account. After taking control of the account, they send messages to contacts on behalf of the owner and ask for money," the police warned.
For example, scammers may write: "Send 80,000 tenge, I'll return it in the evening." If the person is ready to transfer money or asks for details, they rush them and demand that the money be sent to another account as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, the real owner of the account may lose access to the messenger.
Police advice
The police recommend not following suspicious links and first contacting the person asking for money via messenger by phone to clarify the situation. They also advise being cautious about messages related to photos. They may send a link with the text "When was this taken?" If you follow such a link, malicious programs may be installed on your phone.